As you can probably imagine, I wasn't about to let a trip to New York slip by without a visit to the city's famous Garment District. Covering 1 square mile of Manhattan near Times Square, the district was the original birthplace of the manufactured garment. In the early 1900's this dense center of manufacturing actually supplied 70% of women's garments in the US! Of course, as with all manufacturing businesses, much of the Garment District's activities have been outsourced for cheaper labor. That has left this neighborhood, which still serves as the main incubator of up-and-coming fashion labels in the US, at a crossroads. Even among designers who have chosen to keep their garment production in New York, many have moved out to hipper areas like Tribeca and SoHo. Still, if its high-end fabrics and notions you're looking for, there is nowhere else in the world that can compete with this concentrated center of fashion. I made a stop at B and J Fabrics on 7th street to check out the goods, and man, was I in heaven. Ethnic prints, Liberty of London, Italian suiting, fur.....they had it all (although I can't say I felt too good about the fox fur). The stuff was a bit pricier than I'm used to, so I forced myself to leave with only 2 fabrics....but they are awesome. AWESOME. I'll share later this week.....along with more highlights from NYC.
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